Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

[dsallupinyaarea]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Everyone was oddly calm throughout it all. There didn't seem to be any sense of the enormity of events that took place. The FBI agents were working the crime scene like a couple CSI's handling a Jane Doe in an alley. It made me feel disconnected.

[PhilliesFan13]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Forgot to set my DVR last night. Hope it's On Demand.

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

[roadman]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Jack Bauer has seen a nuclear football before.

Maggie Q has seen a fake White House crumble before in Live Free & Die Hard. I hope she is able to get into hand to hand combat with people. lol

Overall, it was average to me, I'll see if it picks up steam.

[SPTO]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Absolutely loved the pilot. I don't really like the wife though. She irritated me constantly in Californication too.

There was one scene when she was talking to Kirkman (Sutherland) and all I could notice was just how damn big her eyes were. It was very distracting.

Everyone was oddly calm throughout it all. There didn't seem to be any sense of the enormity of events that took place. The FBI agents were working the crime scene like a couple CSI's handling a Jane Doe in an alley. It made me feel disconnected.

Eh, I think the situation at the White House was pretty chaotic but with the FBI people I think it's one of those things that you throw yourself into the work and try not to think too much of what's happened. At least that's one of two natural reactions, the other would be freaking the hell out but these people are trained for worse case scenario things.


Now onto my thoughts, I will start with the technical/little things that bothered me:

1. It's possible I misheard (yay for being hard of hearing!) but the scene where Kirkman and General Cochrane are arguing about Iran it sounded like they were saying "uranians". It was very distracting to me. I hope I misheard it because well, for a show that's supposed to have at least some political stuff in it then this is a basic mistake.

2. The driving scene when the secret service guy takes Leo to the WH was distracting as you could tell that probably wasn't done outside in real life or if it was whoever in charge of the effect of lights passing by the windows really did a terrible job. It looked fake as all hell. In fact, the whole area around the White House was painfully fake. There was a scene where the Emily Rhodes character was trying to get into the White House and they showed a side view shot of her talking where you can clearly see what looks like a brown building. There is no way there's any kind of building of that type to the left of the White House.

In fact, as a resident of the Toronto area I can definitely tell this was shot in Toronto. I'm sure very few people will notice that but it was something that slapped me in the face watching this.



Onto the actual content of the episode, I thought it was pretty well done and sets the gears in motion for what should be an interesting show. It seems like NO ONE survived the blast at the SOTU. So Kirkman is effectively a benevolent dictator. There's no one below the president and the fact that Senators and congress people have been wiped out pretty much grinds the government to a halt. That's something that's got to be addressed.

I think I can suss out a part of the terrorist plot as I have a strange feeling this might've been an inside job of some sort. The fact that the terrorist groups and rogue nations have been silent has to be a tip off of some kind. While I understand General Cochrane's view something tells me that this must be a coup of some kind.

I hope Kal Penn is on the show as a regular character. The scene in the washroom with Sutherland was quite good and it sums up how the characters feel about a guy who is clearly way over his head. The characterization of Kirkman seems to be pretty well balanced. He knows he's got a load on his shoulders but he will shoot straight and not give in to base impulses.


Here's hoping this show is successful. I think I will enjoy it.

[JayBee74]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Everyone was oddly calm throughout it all. There didn't seem to be any sense of the enormity of events that took place. The FBI agents were working the crime scene like a couple CSI's handling a Jane Doe in an alley. It made me feel disconnected.

Agree with SPTO about the FBI's "work nature", but agree with your general sentiment. There wasn't a sense of "awe" going around but I'm sure it's hard to convey that to a viewing audience. However difficult, they failed.

Also did not like the wife. Are they setting Keifer up for an affair with his cabinet assistant?

But the main focus will be on how President Keifer handles the challenge. I was a big fan of Geena Davis in the short-lived Commander In Chief (which also starred Keifer's dad) which is similar to DS in the sense that both leads ascend to the presidency unexpectedly, although with Davis it was the VP taking over after the prez died.

[SPTO]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Agree with SPTO about the FBI's "work nature", but agree with your general sentiment. There wasn't a sense of "awe" going around but I'm sure it's hard to convey that to a viewing audience. However difficult, they failed.

They did try to show the strain of things with that scene where one of the FBI guys noticed Maggie Q looking rattled and they talked about how everyone's lost someone tonight.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Everyone was oddly calm throughout it all. There didn't seem to be any sense of the enormity of events that took place. The FBI agents were working the crime scene like a couple CSI's handling a Jane Doe in an alley. It made me feel disconnected.

I noticed the same thing.

[~LiverpoolRed~]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Everyone was oddly calm throughout it all. There didn't seem to be any sense of the enormity of events that took place. The FBI agents were working the crime scene like a couple CSI's handling a Jane Doe in an alley. It made me feel disconnected.

I agree, Kiefer Sutherland's character was too calm. Sure he threw up in the bathroom early on but after that he was way to casual. He has an hour or so to prepare for his opening speech and he instead is eavesdropping on his children in their bedroom? And how unrealistic was the scene with him outside on the veranda? Not a single body guard with him or anything.

[kehlis]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

I agree, Kiefer Sutherland's character was too calm. Sure he threw up in the bathroom early on but after that he was way to casual. He has an hour or so to prepare for his opening speech and he instead is eavesdropping on his children in their bedroom? And how unrealistic was the scene with him outside on the veranda? Not a single body guard with him or anything.

Well there was a laundry list of unrealistic things that will probably continue throughout the series that if we want to continue to watch we'll have to accept.

Being at the White House in and of itself was the most unrealistic of them all to begin with.


The acting with the "in the moment" event they are dealing with could have been much better for sure but as with any show we will probably have to accept unrealistic events.

[JayBee74]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Being at the White House in and of itself was the most unrealistic of them all to begin with.

I wasn't even thinking about that as I was watching it.

[PVarck31]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

I really liked it. I think everything needs time to flesh out. And it definitely has me interested to keep watching.

[JayBee74]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

I really liked it. I think everything needs time to flesh out. And it definitely has me interested to keep watching.

Yeah, I had some issues with the premiere but I think everything will come together.

[Novicain13]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

You would think they would take the president and his family to a secret location after a terrorist attack. Other than that the premiere was really good, and the wife is creepy to me.

[SPTO]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Being at the White House in and of itself was the most unrealistic of them all to begin with.

Weren't they in some bunker type facility underneath the White House for part of the episode? I mean, the times when they were in the White House was to get the family situated, re-establish government etc etc and of course for Kirkman to make his speech to the nation. I think it's safe to say that While Kirkman and company were underground that everybody involved in security and such would be scoping out the entire WH first before bringing them back up.

[JayBee74]

Re: Kiefer Sutherland-"Designated Survivor"

Weren't they in some bunker type facility underneath the White House for part of the episode? I mean, the times when they were in the White House was to get the family situated, re-establish government etc etc and of course for Kirkman to make his speech to the nation. I think it's safe to say that While Kirkman and company were underground that everybody involved in security and such would be scoping out the entire WH first before bringing them back up.

The underground shelter was used for several officials including VP Cheny and Condoleezza Rice on 9-11, but it's not like if President Bush was in the DC area away from the White House they would rush him to the White House's "bunker". I'm sure he would be taken to an "undisclosed location". I'm assuming those officials were already in the White House on 9-11.